Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-26
JOHNSON AND SHIL0H|
JEFFERSON DAVIS SHARPLY kUyk I!
GEN. BEAERE6AED "a
For UahHsJ 0ri6Gsing Els Spssa 4 - ubyl
Of ths JOhssuu Sane- hist I'D M 4
Slday Iohnsn Al SAil&H " 3 8
Subject q q CarrtvHJ

New oRLEASs, April 49,
Davis has replied to the ce1ufn - ~
General Beauregard, print " -
imadverting on the rernartD ~ - 9ebfn1f:
delivered at the time Of - uqyl H. *
the bronze equestrian statpoof Eeek1-
ney Johnston at Metairie enD1 II -
county, April 6. zti& =
The President Of the - 6Mnx
says: ~ z3 - u
my remarks were unpnrD1 -
under the circumstance9< I1(o
been very difficult IL d - -
make an exact report B. O1Uyo
to have been sufficiently Clear 10 = uEoNs
stood BY the writer Of the coanuDtoooke1
who undertakes 10 reduce = Vu6)l<
lion 10 plain languaGs -
then in . quihhing sErlneo
Of his plain languaea sheueS -
the true meaning Of my rssnaz-6 u -
did not / will aid his understaa1ing ~
specially stating that in my opintoa ~
only mistake of General Johnssa, h re1or
ton to the battle Of Shiloh was In ~ -
sonally making the order Of march m
Corinth to Pittsburg Landing. for uhieA
his experience in the movement of teoor1
peculiarly qualified him, instsad q ougo
ing that duty to General Beanrynrd, ~
second In command, and who had -
comparatively little service with teeepn -
the beid. II in this way, - apPsau ~
eotemporaneous statemeuts, dAy ~
needlessly spent on the march, % ~ .
mistake with serious conseqasDcsA
''He follows with the bold sssertioa thAt
| was mistaken in supposing The ~
graphic dispatch had bean lost II weicA
General johnson explained 10 me hls plas1
Of battle. To prove my mistake " 60
phatic announcement Is made that u =
not lost One might reasonably expeoA
after such declaration, that the dispaeeA
described by me would be produced, but
instead thereof there Ii given . dispAAekr
reciting the order Of march from Cueineh
and the assignment Of positions o. u
field, and this Is offered rs the telegan
now occupying our attention. A pooe nal
tillmeut Of the hope suggested by the roun1
assertion that the dispatch referred 10 b.
me had not been been lost
"In regard TO the last lispAtch stated
nothing new in my remarks the 9Th IN.
slant Both dispatches were lost but ths
one published was supplied from the osis-
inal in the possession Of w. p. yohnstea.
II gave the order Of march and gsussnl
disposition Of battle. The other, - stale6,
was cipher agreed upon between 0seesal
Johnston and myself, and only ussd =
special occasions. The original, for eb-
yious reasops. was not therefore, 70 b
found in his letter book.
81 shall not notice In detail the ell.
laudation OF the long communication under
review, but will merely say that if 0snrAl
Beauregard was the author Of the plan ef
battle; if he was present throughout With
the troops who fought Il; II he was on u
field when Johnston fell; II the enemy had
not been driven from point 70 point cd
if General Beaurcgard throughot the Whole
day before, rs well as after the dsath q
General Johnston, did direct the gsnssal
movements Of our force and did afler
the fall of his chief actively prem The
attack, 10 that the right and centre q
the enemy began TO give way In ooafn.
sion after General Bcauregard bad nsursea
command, and IL the order 10 retire waa
not given until after nm attempt 70 makea
concentrated onslaught had been mads,
but which, as he says, was desult0ey,
without spirit or nrdor, and failed, and II
IL was not until just before sunset that -
ordered n cessation Of hostilitics-tben
many eyewitness OF good reputA hsys
greatly missed the important fact In rsgard
to the battle Of Shiloh, and especially = -
how victory was well-nigh won and bow
Il was forfeited. Mere assertion will net
rebut that mass Of wcighty evidcncs which
has been adduced.
"I have no disposition 10 enter ints ~
controversy, and did not mention 0ensenl
Beauregard either by name or oflcial d.
iguation in my remarks on the 6th lnsk
He undertook TO make plain ~ fsesreoee
to himself what might have been esnsral-
ly supposed 10 belong 10 some stat o6Bcsr,
but he knew the rightful owner and claissed
his own, and proved that u could not rufbs
to anything which bappened on The 6slA
of Shiloh. II would have been more 49,
tinent II he had shown that the ordss g
march had not been the cause Of delay u
the arrival Of the troops at the point q
junction.